


The Sweetest Offering

by Witten



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Alpha John, Arranged Bonding, Arranged Marriage, Cultural Differences, Multi, Omega Sherlock, differences between the sexes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-30
Updated: 2017-02-09
Packaged: 2018-09-20 22:09:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9518201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Witten/pseuds/Witten
Summary: Sherlock is eight when the Alphas win major battles across the countryside. A few days after his tenth birthday he's traded to the Alpha barracks in exchange for a massive lessening of levies and taxes against the Holmes' estates and lands.John Watson has been promised a bond mate since his first rut at twelve years old. Eight years later he's assigned to an omega, but it turns out his intended is not what he expected.





	1. Chapter 1

* * *

 

"Mommy, I don't want to go." Sherlock pouts in the backseat. 

 "I know my sweet boy. I know." Her words are ones she's repeated time and time again but her inflection is one that holds genuine empathy.

When they arrive they're flagged onward to visitor parking. Observing all the men in uniforms Sherlock sulks harder.

"I don't like so many new people."

"But look at how handsome they are," Vivian exclaims trying to lift the painfully shy boy's spirits. "You're going to live among these brave soldiers who will protect you, isn't that exciting?"

Sherlock responds petulantly, "Soldiers are mainly Alphas and Alphas are stupid and dull, everyone says so."

 "Everyone, or just Mycroft?" Vivian Holmes turns around and smiles. Her pale blue eyes,  retroussé nose, and large curls a perfect, mirror in her youngest son. Except for the color - his towhead blonde turned chocolate brunette when he was seven.

"Daddy too," came Sherlock's retort. His father frequently expounded on how Alphas are no better than barbarians, dumb brutes who can't think for themselves, their modus operadi is simply food and sex. If they aren't barking out orders they're blindly following them, falling in lock-step. Their nature craved not the arts or sciences, but violence and danger and sex, but without flare or grace.

Vivian's heart-shaped lips flatten somewhat as she replies tightly, "Yes, well, your father has a particular reason to dislike Alphas. Come now. Out you go."

They're right outside the visitor entrance when a cold shiver of fear suddenly spooks Sherlock. He tugs on his mommy's skirt and whines.

"Why should I have to leave you and daddy and Mycroft and Eurus? It's hateful." He bites out the last word in his tiny child voice.

"Sherlock! Watch your language."

Vivian bends down to be at eye level of her little boy and softens her voice. "You are a Holmes and I expect you to act like a good little boy and do as you're told.

"But why do I have to be the one to leave?" Tears glitter in his eyes and Vivian's heart breaks for the thousandth time.

"Because, my little one, you are special. So special." She sifts a hand through the boy's feather soft curls.

"You are too young to understand everything about he world, and besides," she pinches Sherlock's pale apple cheeks causing a high-pitched giggle from her son, "knowing you as well as I do you'll simply delete anything distressing from your mind."

"However, you are clever enough to be told certain truths no one else in the family wanted to explain to you. Moreover you deserve to hear them. Your father has made several poor, not so clever choices in life that have left our family on the cusp of bankruptcy."

"The councils are now run by Alphas and they enjoy taxing Beta families like us."

"Because we are rich and own lots of lands."

"Y-yes." The boy is definitely too perspicacious for his own good, she thinks. "But it is terribly unfair, not least because they don't even care about such things. All they really want are special people like you."

"Me?" Sherlock's voice is very small and he looks down at his feet, unable now to keep the tears unshed.

She cups the boy's face and lifts it so he sees she is crying even harder. "The world is a cruel place and we all have demons we must face eventually and I'm so sorry yours are here.

"Listen to me, my little Sherlock, if I had my way you would stay at home where you could play your instruments and dance and play in the high grasses to your heart's content. And when the time came I would marry you to a rich old Beta who would let you do as you please, buy you fine clothing and every knick knack under the sun, and who...who couldn't hurt you or treat you so roughly...when..."

"Roughly?"

Sherlock shivers unconsciously.

Her son's distressed voice brings Vivian back from her dark thoughts. She wipes her eyes and holds him with both hands.

"Nevermind that last part. Delete that Sherlock." She commands, and in the next second Sherlock's face brightens, tears stopper, and the dark confusion lifting like a fog.

 _Amazing_. Such an amazing talent of his mind. Having seen it before many times she still can't help but be amazed at his natural defense mechanism. 

She takes a deep breath. "All you need to know, Sherlock, is that you're doing a brave grown-up thing today. And you're doing it for your family. You want to help your family, don't you?"

"Yes, Mommy." His voice is still thin but more assured than before.

"Good, now let's go in and meet your new masters."

The visitors section is blocks away from the main buildings, once they get checked in they're directed to where they'll meet Sherlock's escort.

 

* * *

 

John stands at attention outside the Omega Female Relation's Building.

He's burning up inside his uniform. It's not actually hot outside, quite cool actually, but anxiety and nerves and Alpha biology have John sweating up a storm.

Military staff and members of OFeR pass by but John just nods keeping his eyes peeled for someone new.

It's impossible not to stare when he first lays eyes on her. She is easily the most beautiful women he's ever seen, and for a moment he thinks 'she's the one.' He flicks his eyes back down to his clipboard to remind himself he's looking for a boy.

He's so distracted by her graceful, delicate beauty it isn't until she approaches him not ten feet away that he sees her.

A tiny child, undoubtedly a girl, peeks out from around her mother's skirt.

His stomach drops and a familiar disappointment fills his veins before getting replaced with a groaning anger.

_Of course. It makes sense._

Sherlock did sound like a strange name for a boy, strange for a girl, too-- but why did Uncle Sholto bother lying to him?

"Mrs. Holmes?" The woman nod, her curls bouncing gently but even that pretty movement can't soothe him anger. He half snaps, "I thought you were dropping off a male Omega, not a girl Omega."

Her blue eyes go wide at the aggressive behavior of such a young Alpha. "I- Sherlock isn't..."

"I'm not a girl!" The small child steps out and stamps ~~her~~ his foot.

"Alright, fine. You're a boy, but our records say that he's supposed to _have_ presented and _be_ bondable."

"I never gave any false information. Sherlock was reported as being pre-presentation. An agent of the council came by the house to inspect him himself, and he was deemed highly desirable to claim for the state. All those record should be in your notes, young man. Let me see what they say."

John growls softly to himself. " _They_ only say 'male omega,' but _I_ was personally told he was old enough."

Vivian pointedly glances at John's name badge.

"Well, Lieutenant John Watson, I suggest you go speak to whoever gave you misinformation, but in the meantime I expect you will escort my son to his new home."

 

* * *

 


	2. Chapter 2

"Don't turn around. Do not turn around." Vivian repeats to herself. She knows full well what will happen if she does. It's one thing to bring her little boy to the Alpha garrison - she herself has been incredibly curious for over a year now and Sherlock, whatever he rolls his eyes at, is deep down just as curious as she - it's quite another to leave him there.

She takes deep breath to calm and tries not to sob openly - crying is not the Holmes' way - before taking one more small step which leads her away from the spot where just moments ago the Alpha had snarled 'Fine!' before reaching for Sherlock, making both her and the boy startle.

_This is the sort of rough wolf you're throwing your boy to. If it won't be this Alpha it will be one just like him who will claim your tiny child's innocence the moment his first heat approaches._

The shout rattles her so much she honestly thinks about calling it off there and then, her husband and eldest son's wishes be damned, but in the very next instant the young Alpha smiles and says he was sorry.

 _And what a smile_. He's already handsome enough to start, a broad featured face with a strong, wide jawline. The grin, however, completes the gorgeousness but with an unexpected charm, his dark blue eyes set to dazzle. It's so genuine, so utterly trustworthy a smile she can't help but feel heartened by it in a way she never expected to be during an encounter with an Alpha, who were, even if she found them attractive in a distant sort of way, the dullest of the classes.

Confused, she instead bends down to give Sherlock a small kiss on his cold trembling skin, throws out her hand to allow the Alpha to shake it, and then turns over her youngest, most vulnerable child into his care.

Almost immediately afterward her doubt and fears creep back, so she now deliberately walks slow that she might still have time to glance back and see Sherlock once last time.

Ahead of her and to her sides, now that she takes in her surroundings, are Alphas. Not all, but mostly. So many Alphas. Groups and patches and individuals, solidly built men standing, walking, running all over the grounds, to and fro and in and out of various buildings and areas in this section of the garrison: most in uniform but many in civilian clothing, typically shirts and dark blue jeans. All of them unmistakable with regards to their sex by the set of their military stance and prominent _southern_ bulges.

Vivian has never seen this this many Alphas in her entire life put together. Having grown up wealthy among an esteemed Beta family, she could count the Alphas she had met personally on her hands, and those interactions were brief and limited. They had no place among the intelligent, wealthy and civilized communities, or at least that was the going attitude.

Her father was a famous geneticist and renown researcher on the genetic and cultural differences between Alphas and Betas. His works served as the scientific basis for several anti-Alpha discrimination laws. Dirty, mindless, sex-driven barbarians who used their fists; that was how they were seen by most of the beta and omegas, perpetuated elite all the way down to common beta and omega children who often shared with each other crude and downright cruel racially charged jokes. It wasn't until her last year getting her masters at university when she joined up with a liberal group fighting for Alpha rights that she got a rudimentary idea that they were more than just common barbarians. She even participated in a rally, though she destroyed all records of those dalliances when she married Siger Holmes which was very soon after.

Siger was from a rich family of bankers and lawyers, older, kind, and thoroughly Beta in mind, body and spirit. It took a host of drug treatments and tries for her to get pregnant with Mycroft, even more with so Eurus who suffered a wide range of mental and social issues, and finally Sherlock, who of course turned out to be Omega.

Throughout all this she devoted herself to her family and never gave much consideration to Alphas or their plight again. Until they began willing the wars and became the masters of the countryside more or less. Now they are a constant source of curiosity to her, though contact still remains incredibly limited.

As she observes them now they seem much... _less aggressive_ than her suppositions led her to believe.

To the left in an open field a few dozen are doing jumping-jacks in perfect precision with each other, obeying the officer's commands easily; up ahead next to a flagpole several are laughing so hard they're nearly doubling over. The sounds are pleasant and jovial. She sees an older Alpha trying to run quickly to catch up with another man. Everything she sees both fits the stereotypes as well as bucking them.

She's almost made it to the corner, from there she will head back inside the Visitor's building to get to her car. Another breath, another internal repetition of, "Don't turn around." She's a Holmes. She needs to stay strong for her remaining children. This will save their futures.

Like clockwork her phone buzzes with a text from Mycroft.

_Mother, no need for tears. You did the right thing. There was no putting off Sherlock's value to our family. He would have grown up sooner or later. Better it happens now when we can leverage his gifts rather than a miscreant taking advantage of them later on. - M_

It is nothing she hasn't heard a thousand times. Words she uses to convince herself or others, even her little boy, but reading those words put in such blunt terms with the expectation that they should console, trips her emotions with the blatant unfairness. And in that instant of her wherewithal breaking down she whips her head around.

They're both there, not having moved too far from the spot either. Standing side by side the size difference is palpable. The broad Alpha looks enormous next to her tiny sweet child. The thing is the Alpha's legs aren't even that long; they're actually quite short, but altogether thick and muscular, just like the rest of him. He's built like a bull. The variants of the browns of his short bristly hair are brightened in the sun and look so different next to the big soft chocolate-colored curls that halo Sherlock's head.

They stand facing each other, their profiles visible to her, one pale, creamy white - not for lack of trying she thinks fondly. Her son spent more hours outside than in - the other darkly tanned, bronzed easily by the sun. They seem to be in the midst of a vibrant conversation with Sherlock talking gregariously and the Alpha simply listening with his brows deeply furrowed.

She swallows.

_Oh dear._

Sherlock does have such a mouth on him, he's going to cause so many problems for himself with his deductions. She takes a step in their direction right as the Alpha tosses his head back and _laughs_ , a throaty pleasant sound. Honest. Nothing forced or stilted. It's half pleased rumble, half gruff giggle if such a thing exists. _Soulful_ she thinks. The little omega looks perplexed for a moment before his little face breaks into its own happy smile and then Vivian is treated to the rare sound of Sherlock's high pealing giggle. Hearing the delighted sound reminds her what a rare commodity laughter in general is in their household.

When they both stop laughing, the Alpha throws a big arm around the omega's small shoulders and they start walking away. Vivian Holmes enters the Visitor's building more confused than ever in her life.

 

* * *

 

After the omega's mother turns and leaves, John has to take a second before he can gain the presence of mind to consider what to do. He takes a deep fortifying breath, remembering his Alpha temper instructions, and then looks back down at the tiny, pale faced child.

A _child_.

_Fuck Fuck Fuck FUCK!_

This is supposed to be the day of days for him. John has been looking forward to this moment for over a month, since the day when Sholto told him the good news that he'd finally found him a bond mate.

That night was the last night he fucked his beta girlfriend. He wanted to save himself in what little way he could for his future wife. He wanted to be the best husband for his omega. Infidelity being a common and high criticism among Betas of Alphas, John thought there could be no better surprise for his bride-to-be than telling her on their bonding night how he'd gone through an entire rut alone, even though the barracks employed ample providers to any Alpha who needed one if they couldn't find one on their own.

Sarah understood completely but regretted later letting him have that one last go. He fucked her harder than any time before with her, burning off years of pent-up frustration-cum-exhilaration, so much so he had to make it up to her by doing her chores for a week.

The self-imposed moratorium was another matter, much worse than anything he could have imagined, short though it was. His rut came on after just three weeks of celibacy, was spent alone in one of the rut houses where he'd dislocated a shoulder trying to break down the thick reinforced steel door.

Just as worse was how dumb he felt, the humiliation he suffered by his friends who before and after laughed at him for even attempting such an endeavor.

"Quite trying to be so noble, Watson. No omega is going to thank you for it. I promise he'll be just as devoted to you once you bite him whether you fuck a thousand other people or zero. Besides, one question about your reputation is all it's going to take for that little kitten to learn about your Alpha sex needs."

Victor Trevor has an annoying habit of sounding just like John's father.

"But it does matter. He'll know I stopped the second I found out he was going to be my mate. And once we're bonded I won't need to fuck around. He'll be all I'll want."

Victor smirks before opening another beer. "Well, not _the second_ you found out about him, eh? I hear Sarah was bed-ridden for days, had you being her lackey even."

Sebastian snickers with a "Oh, burn!" at the joke, but Bill remains silent giving John a thoughtful look.

John growls, though his face does redden. "That was...You know what I mean. And it isn't just about having him stay devoted and you know it." That part is irrefutable. Omegas once bonded gave their life and limb and entire sexual being over to their Alpha, the same if to a Beta, although those ties aren't as strong. "My dad cheated all the time. Mom never even thought about leaving but it hurt her. All the time knowing he choose to be with someone else it hurt her a lot. I never want my wife to feel like that."

Victor rolls his eyes and is about to go in for another verbal attach when Bill finally chimes in. "Don't listen to him, John. He's just jealous that if he wears omega style pants no one would be able to tell he's not one."

"Shut the fuck up, Murray!" Victor snarls, but the damage is done. John and Sebastian are sprawled across floor, hooting with laughter, tears in their eyes.

The week long agony ended with a dozen fuck toys broken, John swearing and sweating and stumbling out of the rut house, with all the muscles in his body stiffened. Alphas aren't known for their flexibility, that's a trait reserved only for girls and even more for omegas. But John's joints creaked with an inflexibility like he was several years older.

"You need a real fuck," was the only advice he got but again he refused. He is going to be such a good man for his omega wife.

Today is supposed to be the day his nightmare ends. All John's excitement and his plans are ruined.

Officially, omegas and entering betas are supposed to immediately be escorted to their age station for processing, where OFeR staff look them over and perform the standard protocols and proprietaries, what most Alphas consider bullshit. It's just formality really since practically speaking the instant the omega steps onto the garrison grounds, he already belongs to his pre-arranged Alpha. Still the customs are held up for the sake of Beta liaisons, lawyers, auditors and such. The paperwork, however, can last several days, so everyone at OFeR looks the other way if the omega arrives later than is expected.

John even heard of an omega who came into the offices freshly bitten and fucked.

John is sure he won't go that far with his omega, but he certainly wants to be the first to show him around, show him all of John's favorite spots, show him John's dorm room, and yes, perhaps some passionate necking and scenting wouldn't be out of the question.

So John just stands there, balking, damning inwardly his wretched luck. The small omega before him won't present for at least another 4 years. He brings a hand to his scrub down his face only to be reminded how he'd freshly shaven to look good for his omega. He keeps his hand there because he might be holding back a tear or two.

He hears the boy's high sharp voice suddenly pierce his dark thoughts. "What's the matter, Alpha?"

John shakes his head and tries to focus at the task at hand: what to do with this baby omega. He looks down and for the first time really takes in Sherlock's appearance.

First things first, the boy is undeniably omega, and a very pretty one, too. High full cheekbone structure gracefully shaping into a narrow jaw give him a heart-shaped face. Wide set eyes and classical omega fair skin and curls...curls are especially rare. Not any curls, but curls like what Sherlock has, big loose wavy ringlets. His look of soft cocoa and in the sun there are little hints of reds.

The second thing he notices is the boy is young. Very young. Very small. That he's even 10 is surprising but perhaps it's partly due to his clothes. He's wearing an overlarge yellow sweater with bees on it. This isn't too surprising given the conservationism of Betas in general but it reinforces the boy's pure sweet innocence, which is the last thing John wants to be reminded right now.

It isn't unheard of OFeR taking in young omegas, some even younger than Sherlock, but those are never paired with an Alpha. They attend omega training prep schools and will eventually be matched but it takes time and negotiations.

If John keeps Sherlock he'll be stuck waiting for years.

No. No absolutely not. This won't stand. He'll go to James and demand another mate simple as that. It would be tantamount to torture to expect him to wait even more than 6 months.

And yes, he'll lose Sherlock to another Alpha, but so be it. John needs someone now. And surely as the child grows older his skin will lose its luster and paleness and his eyes will become closer together. There's no way his curls will stay as soft and bouncy looking either.

"Nothing is the matter." He answers dejected.

The boy's light blue eyes narrow. "You're upset."

"I'm not upset." John knows how tight and gruff he sounds right now but it can't be helped.

"You are. You're mad about something, which I can only assume relates to me. You don't seem to want me around. I don't want to be here either, so, how about you sneak me out and then we'll both be happy."

It's not even the audacity of the words, although there is that. It's such a ludicrous notion. Letting an omega escape is tantamount to treason and would be worth more than John's life. On top of all that, hearing such a brazen attitude from someone so cute and adorable is lovely. John throws back his head and laughs, chuckles with every fiber of his being, but without mockery, without sarcasm. True laughter that's infectious. A small part of him instantly takes to Sherlock for inadvertently soothing his spirits.

The omega's nose crinkles in a most adorable way before John's gravelish giggles set him off too. The omega makes tinkling high-pitched sound, delightful and sweet. Sherlock's entire pale face and pale eyes light up, too, looking at John strangely.

John's sure he's never seen anything so beautiful in his whole life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments and kudos mean a lot to me. I don't know if I should continue this story or try something else.
> 
> I messed up the style at first. I've fixed it now but tell me if you see any mistakes.

**Author's Note:**

> I have no Beta; all errors are mine. If you have beta experience, like this story and want to help me let me know.


End file.
